My 8-step process for writing sales page copy

A powerful (and highly-converting) sales page is made up of two important things:

1. Copy2. Design

Your copy is how you tell the story of what you’re selling. The design is how you organize that story and make it easy for your readers to understand (also: a direct reflection of how your readers will perceive the value of your offer, but that’s a whole other story).

Copy and design are critical to you being able to sell your product/service and they are fully dependent on each other. Great copy with poor design, or vice versa just won’t work if you want to create an offer that compels visitors to take action.

I’ll be showing you how to DESIGN your sales page in Irresistible Sales Pages, but I also want to make sure that if you sign up, you’ll be 100% prepared with some amazing sales page copy.

(Pssst: I also convinced Courtney Johnston of the Rule Breaker’s Club to create an incredible master class training teaching you how to write your own sales page copy. That will be available to everyone who signs up for ISP when it launches at the end of the month!)

I typically write my own sales page copy and then send it to an editor to clean up and make sure I’m getting my point across (because I have been known to go off on tangents…).

Before you start writing, I want to point out how incredibly important it is that you understand who your dream customers are. You want to be emotionally connecting with them through the words you write, so it’s vital that you have ONE person in mind that you’re writing for.

For some more help with this, I wrote a post on how to brand your digital product, which also walks you through how to get more clear on who your dream customers are.

To make it even easier for you this week, I created a free guide that you can download, print off or just keep handy for when you’re ready to write your sales page copy.

Here’s the 8-step process I use for writing my own sales page copy.

Feel free to move these sections around, because I recommend covering each one in the order it makes sense for your readers. Consider this your starting point.

Step 1. Start with the headlines and sub-headlines

News-flash: most people won’t read through your entire sales page. The part they will see, though? Your headlines.

When you first get started writing your copy, I always start with my headlines and subheads. Think of these like your sales page bullet points. Once you get those straight, you can go back through and edit later.

Humans like to skim (especially when reading on the web), because we’re busy little creatures, so make sure you spend time perfecting these headlines. In the following steps, I’ve included some headline examples to get you started.

The first and most important headline you’re going to write is your Opening Headline. This is the single most important sentence of your entire page.

You need to make sure it’s compelling, intriguing and makes people want to keep reading.

For help with crafting the perfect headline, I recommend checking out the book, Great Leads.

In summary, there are 6 different types of “leads” you can use in your headline.

Step 2. Address their core frustration

Time to start filling in the body of your sales page. The next and largest section of your sales page will be the core frustration section. This is where you’ll address their biggest problems, weaknesses and struggles and show them that you understand where they are right now. You’ll want to use strong “before” statements to create an eye-catching headline. You need the before to get them thinking about how this could be different and connect with them in a real and honest way.

Examples of strong “core frustration” headlines:

Can you relate?….

Have you ever felt this way?…

Do any of these sound familiar?…

Step 3. Show them your solution

This is where you’ll illustrate your offer. You want your reader to understand how their life/business could look different after using your product/course/program. Make sure to include both the benefits AND the features, but really pay attention to the benefits, because those are what will sell your program. They won’t care if you have two calls during the eCourse if you can’t explain what they can expect when the program is over. The truth is that people only care about one thing: “what’s in it for me?”

Examples of strong “solution” headlines:

What if didn’t have to be that way?…

I have the perfect solution to that…

Image if it (your life, business, etc) could look like this…

Sections within this section can include module breakdowns, bonuses, what’s included and screenshots of your membership site.

Step 4. Make the offer

Once you’ve shown them your solution, it’s time to make the offer. I like to make the offer closer to the top of the page, that way if I have readers who are ready to purchase, they see the CTA and don’t have to search for it. The most important part of this section is your CTA, and more specifically – what your CTA says. The words you use to send your customers to the order form can have a huge impact on how many people actually click the button. Ideally, you want to explain what happens once they click that button and what they’ll be getting once they click the button.

Examples of strong “CTA” buttons:

Enroll NowI’m Ready to _______ (what is your program going to help them do?)

Sign up to get started

Show me my _______ (what are they going to get once they purchase?)

I’m In.

Sign Me Up for _________________.

The hard part about the CTA copy is that everyone’s community reacts differently to different phrases or words, so it’s best to play around with the wording and see which one works best for you. That said, avoid boring CTAs like Buy Now or Submit. They aren’t going to capture attention and you want your CTA to stand out! This section might also include payment plans, early-bird bonuses, what’s included and guarantees. Remember, you want to help seal the deal so provide information that will eliminate any concerns they may have.

Step 5. Introduce yourself

Before you get too far down the page, make sure you introduce yourself and explain why you are qualified to be teaching or selling your program. People need to know that you’re credible and they can trust you to deliver exactly what you’re promising.

I require all of my 1-on-1 design clients to include at least one picture of themselves on their sales page, so this is the perfect spot for it.

Examples of strong “bio” headlines:

Before I forget, let me introduce myself…

Who is ____________?

Meet _____________.

Step 6. Filter out the wrong people

Whatever it is that you’re selling, it’s not for everyone. So you want to take the time to state who this offer is best for and who it isn’t so great for.

Don’t think of this as eliminating people in general. Instead, think about this as eliminating the wrong people and pulling in the right people. The right people who will actually benefit from your program and have amazing results to show for it. If someone isn’t ready for your offer, you want to do both of your a favor and help them realize it isn’t a fit.

Examples of strong “who is this for?” headlines:

Are you right for (insert product name here)?

Who’s this program for?

Step 7. Answer frequently asked questions

Pstt… insider secret right here — the FAQ section of a sales page aren’t actually questions that people have asked before.

Instead, they are questions that the readers should be asking.

You’ll usually use the FAQ section to answer common objections that customers may have to purchasing your program and to answer some basic questions about your product. They’re things that people may have rattling around in their head and your job is to make them feel clear and confident that your offer is right for them.

Step 8. Add in testimonials

Once you are finished writing the majority of your copy, now it’s time to go back through and add your social proof. You absolutely need testimonials on your sales page.

When it comes to including them on your sales page, the great thing about testimonials is they don’t have to be in a specific spot.

When designing, I usually use testimonials as a way to break up the page and keep the reader’s eye moving down the page.

If you’re designing your own sales page, I would keep a list of these testimonials close by and add them in as you see fit. The ones that you don’t use throughout your page can be added to the bottom of the page. Just make sure that if you include a lot of them at the bottom to also include another CTA button at the bottom so people don’t have to scroll all the way up to find it.